Chapter 578 - 227: Time Fault

The object on the head of the Grave Digger-turned-Ghoul—it was unclear if it was a Scroll or a staff—vanished. A red circlet appeared in its place, settling on his forehead. Two bone shields also materialized where his arms had been severed. The shields were a deep gray, the color of stone grave markers.

His body remained as gaunt as before, his skin cracked and inelastic, like withered, dehydrated flesh. The hole in his chest was still there, revealing an empty cavity filled with swirling gray mist, but no internal organs.

Furthermore, thanks to his awakened shadow talent, his body flickered in and out of view within the gray mist, looking as if it could dissolve into shadow and vanish at any moment.

Just then, the gray mist above the undead-transmutation Rune Array gradually formed the shape of a gate. Accompanied by shrill, piercing shrieks, a cold, deep voice drifted out from within. "We meet again, young Wizard. A Ghoul this time? Quite strong, heh heh..."

Wei’en looked at the Gray Mist Gate and asked calmly, "Is that you, Lord Veraute?"

He recognized the voice. When he had transformed the Deep Sea Giant Beast, this being, who called himself the Doorman of the Undead World, had been the one to speak first.

And the name Veraute was one the Master of True Slaughter had mentioned.

"Oh?" The voice sounded slightly surprised. "You know my name?"

"I happened upon it."

"Heh heh, did that old fossil from the Phantoms tell you?" The voice sounded as if it had found the answer. "Those bastards never honor their contracts! Damn it, when that old geezer gets here, I’ll make sure he..."

Wei’en didn’t respond, silently listening to the voice from within the gate mutter on.

From this statement, however, he gleaned a piece of information. ’So, certain Wizards from the Phantoms can freely enter and exit the Undead World.’

’If so, does that mean they can select suitable Undead Creatures to summon and form contracts with?’

’If that’s really true, then I’ll have a chance to bring the Undead Creatures I’ve designated as Deadpools into this world.’

"...Keep up the good work, and send some even stronger little Undead. This Ghoul isn’t weak, but it can’t compare to that big fella from last time..."

The voice faded, and the Ghoul was engulfed and devoured by the Gray Mist Gate, vanishing along with it.

Wei’en calmly watched the Gray Mist Gate dissipate, his gaze falling upon the storm’s vortex in the distance. The biting sea wind whipped through his black hair. In the dim light beneath the overcast sky, his crimson eyes seemed to glow even brighter.

’Last time?’

’Last time, it was a Deep Sea Giant Beast—and one that was on the verge of becoming a fourth-level Catastrophe, no less.’

’How could a mere Grave Digger, only at the level of a Hand of the Kingdom, possibly compare to that Deep Sea Giant Beast?’

At that moment, three points of light once again surfaced in Wei’en’s mind. This time, he could sense the locations of the three Undead Creatures he had granted the status of "Deadpool" more clearly than ever.

’Hm?’

’Has the Liaison Officer actually joined forces with the Deep Sea Giant Beast?’

’And they’ve occupied a sea of blood, building two Corpse Mountains beside it—piled high with the remains of countless Undead Creatures. Skeletons, zombies, all different kinds, but the one thing they had in common was that their soulfires had all been extinguished.’

Atop the larger Corpse Mountain, a gigantic skeletal creature was draped across the peak. Its massive, fang-filled maw gaped at the sky as countless bony tentacles writhed around it.

It was none other than the Undead Creature transformed from the Deep Sea Giant Beast—the Skeleton Giant Beast!

It was using its barbed tentacles to scoop Undead Creatures out of the blood sea. Some were tossed into its mouth and devoured, but most were thrown to the foot of the mountain, left for the other Undead Creatures on the Corpse Mountain to either devour or be devoured.

Meanwhile, on the smaller Corpse Mountain, the Liaison Officer Olivia Tapia—the first to be granted the "Deadpool" status—was reclining on a bone chair. She casually waved a bone staff, and streams of gray shadow pulled the Undead Creatures tossed by the Skeleton Giant Beast to various locations across her mountain.

That small Corpse Mountain was divided into ten tiers. Olivia would replace the Undead on the bottom three tiers at will, while the Undead on the top seven tiers were allocated a fixed ratio of creatures to devour.

’Of course, she’s allocated half of them to herself... Is she dividing the spoils of war?’

’I never expected those two would team up...’

’Tsk. It seems the Liaison Officer’s death-precognition talent is serving her well in the Undead World...’

Having seen all this, Wei’en noted the Ghoul’s location one last time, then voluntarily withdrew his senses.

’I don’t have many Undead Creatures with the "Deadpool" status right now. Only after I’ve transformed more will I, the nominal "Death Master," be able to unleash my true power.’

’Heh, the Dusk Sect...’

’From now on, they’ll become the dusk of the Undead World!’

Wei’en watched the aberrations roaring madly inside the massive vortex, along with the deep-sea creatures that had been spun into a stupor, and calmly signaled to his specter.

"Corpse Explosion."

’This is probably my only reward from all this.’

’The negative effect of the taboo item had completely wiped out the base stats I gained from fighting the Grave Digger. I can use these aberrations caught in the Storm to build my strength back up.’

’Besides, because of the vortex, not many deep-sea creatures are lingering beneath the surface. I don’t have to worry about attracting any colossal beasts hidden in the ocean depths.’

Wei’en tossed a few deep-sea creature corpses toward the vortex. The specter stepped forward at the opportune moment and began to chant the incantation for the Corpse Explosion Skill.

"Siyaam, Sir, Sute!"

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

The three muffled thumps were barely audible over the raging waves and howling wind. But as the gore from the exploding corpses merged with the vortex, it quickly splattered onto the nearby deep-sea creatures and aberrations. The spreading plague rapidly began to corrode and contaminate their bodies.